BOCHUM, bǒH'oom, Prussia, town in the government of Arnsberg, province of Westphalia, five miles east-northeast of Essen and between 20 and 30 miles northeast of Düsseldorf. It is on the railway from Dortmund to Duisburg, and has important iron, steel and coal mining industries. It contains several churches, a school of mining and metallurgy, a gymnasium and theatre. Among its industrial establishments are steel works, iron foundries, tin and zinc factories, carpet factories and paper roofing manufactories. The waterworks are municipal property and the town has a modern sewage system. The government is vested in a municipal council of 24 members who elect an executive board of seven. Pop. 136,916.